


Kneel

by AutisticWriter



Series: One-Word Whump Prompts [5]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Otacon (Metal Gear), Canonical Character Death, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Grief/Mourning, Love, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Freeform, Past Sexual Abuse, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26010748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: Hal breaks down over Emma’s death, and Snake helps him cope.
Relationships: Otacon/Solid Snake
Series: One-Word Whump Prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871002
Kudos: 16





	Kneel

He thought he could cope. After his humiliating breakdown beside E.E’s still warm body, Hal did his best to calm down and stay controlled as he rushed through hostage rescues and evacuations and the general stress of his and Snake’s job, and he really thought he was coping well. But when he and Snake finally get home, the façade he worked so hard to put up shatters right before their eyes, and he falls apart all over again.

Collapsing to his knees, Hal wraps his arms around his chest, hugging himself as he sobs and sobs, whimpering about his sister and trying to remember the fun they had together but only able to picture her corpse, blood everywhere as she lay limp in his arms. And he knows Snake is right there, watching him kneel in a pathetic heap on the floor, but he doesn’t care—Snake has seen Hal at his worst many times, never once judging him for being a grown man but sobbing so hard he puked.

At some point, Snake helps him up, taking most of Hal’s weight and leading him somewhere. When he opens his watery eyes, he realizes they have entered the bedroom, but he closes them again when Snake eases Hal onto the bed, sobbing into the sheets. Snake sits beside him and doesn’t pull back when Hal lunges at him, tugging Snake into a tight, shaking embrace. And Snake wraps his arms around Hal, hugging him close, his warmth soothing Hal but not enough to stop crying.

He sniffles and mumbles things like, “Emma” and “her mother” and “sorry”, hating himself and hating what happened and wishing things could he different, but they never will, because life just hates him.

Snake holds him tight, rubbing Hal’s back, and Hal hears him whisper things like, “It was abuse, Otacon” and “Emma doesn’t hate you” and “Let it all out” and—

“I love you, Hal,” Snake says, and those four simple words help calm Hal’s overwhelmed brain.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/WriterAutistic)


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